Ash tray with display insert



June 1961 J. E. HESS, SR

ASH TRAY WITH DISPLAY INSERT Filed Feb. 16, 1959 INVENTOR. JEROME EHESS SR.

United States Patent 2,989,813 ASH TRAY WITH DISPLAY INSERT Jerome Elbert Hess, Sr., 240 9th St. SE., Washington 3, D.C. Filed Feb. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 793,580 1 Claim. (Cl. 41-10) This invention relates to smoking apparatus and more particularly to a novelty ash tray.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novelty ash tray that will safely and conveniently accommodate ignited and snuffed out cigarettes, which also includes attractive or advertising display material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelty ash tray of the above type that can be effectively used for advertising, personal, souvenir, scientific, or other types of display matter to enhance the appearance and utility of such smoking accessory.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a safety ash tray bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a safety ash tray made in accordance with one form of the present invention, in operative use;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view, of certain parts of the assembly shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, of a slightly modified form of construction.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGURES 1 to 3 thereof, a novelty ash tray made in accordance with one form of the present invention is shown to include a shallow dish portion having a base wall 11 and a peripheral side wall 12 defining a central interior section 14, within which a center post 16 is integrally positioned. The entire tray portions, including the base Wall 11, side wall 12, and upright post 16 are preferably constructed from transparent material, so that the contents within the central compartment 17 of the hollow post member 16 may be observed. Such inserts may take the form of indicia bearing sheets 20 that are secured in surface contact with the interior walls of the post 16 by means of a filler plug 18 inserted into the interior of the center post through the bottom thereof. On the other hand, small figurines, three dimensional articles, or the like may be inserted into the compartment 17 and secured therewithin in any Patented June 27, 1961 desired manner. The top of the center post 16 is provided with a central cigar receiving slot 26, a pair of cigarette receiving slots 22 for releasably supporting an ignited cigarette 24 therewithin, and snufier holes 28- at the opposite ends, into which the ignited end of the cigarette may be thrust to extinguish it safely and conveniently. One of the features of the present invention is that the center post 16 is spaced sufliciently inwardly from the side Walls 12 of the dish portion to prevent damage in the event that the cigarette or cigar falls from the top of the post 16 onto the base wall 11. The side walls 12 thus effectively prevent such ignited cigarette or cigar from falling upon a table top, rug, or the like.

In FIGURE 4 of the drawing, a slightly modified form of construction 30 is shown wherein the shallow dish portion also includes a base wall 31 and peripheral side wall 32 that defines a central compartment 34. In this embodiment, the center post 36 is a solid member extending upwardly from the central portion of the tray and slidably receives a transparent sheath 40 thereon which may be used to position a pair of prints 38 between the sheath and the center post 36 so as to be visible from both sides of the tray. The top of the sheath 40 is provided with similar cigarette and cigar receiving slots 42, as well as the snutfer holes hereinbefore referred to for extinguishing cigarettes. In this embodiment, it is thus possible to construct the dish portion and integral post 36 out of an opaque material, since it is only necessary that the sheath portion 40 be transparent to enable the prints 38 to be visible therethrough.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A novelty ash tray comprising, in combination, a shallow dish portion, a transparent central post portion integral with the central portion of said dish portion, with said post portion being hollow and open downwardly through the bottom of said dish portion, and decorative means comprising an insert disposed within said hollow post portion and visible from opposite sides of said dish portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 163,918 Wedemeyer July 10, 1951 D. 183,251 Evans July 22, 1958 2,013,377 Debs Sept. 3, 1935 2,311,926 Brand "Feb. 23, 1943 2,917,856 Soloif Dec. 22, 1959 

